Barb Wire Dolls - Rub My Mind album review

Swaggering somewhere between L7 and the no-fucks-given heyday of late-70s punk, Lemmy endorsed Greek five-piece Barb Wire Dolls have continued to move further away from the DIY sensibilities of 2012 debut, Slit. Isis Queen’s throaty vocals are a mix of Joan Jett and Debbie Harry, and she plays the role of satirical social commentator with fiery aplomb on Back In the U.S.S.A. and smash’n’grab bruiser We Are SOFTWAREmark” gingersoftwareuiphraseguid=“2fd006a6-07ba-4124-abec-6207c2b57c3f” id=“528fa360-3858-48c4-a78b-681c394eadda”>Champions (‘Make riots/Not war!’). Crunching rhythms and pulsating bass licks provide equal measures of melodic rage and flamboyance; fists will roll and tables will be overturned to gleefully sneery anthem Contract. If I Fall’s vocal refrains are reminiscent of London Calling-era The Clash, but the brooding acoustics of Fire To Burn and frustratingly mid-paced plod of closer Waiting To Be Lost results in the album closing with a whimper instead of a bang. The push to sound more polished stifles the moments of passionate fervour, but Rub My Mind remains rock solid.